Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the production and export of pesticides and herbicides which are banned for use in the UK, including (1) paraquat, and (2) 1,3-dichloropropene.

On the production of pesticides and herbicides, depending on the amounts produced, the manufacture of paraquat and 1,3 dichlorophene are regulated under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (COMAH) which implements an EU directive in this area. The COMAH Regulations will continue to apply to Great Britain after the Transition Period.

The export from the UK of paraquat and 1,3-dichloropropene is regulated under Regulation (EU) 649/2012 on the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals, known as the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from the UK must notify the importing country via the exporter’s Designated National Authority.

For the UK the Designated National Authority is The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Paraquat and 1,3-dichloropropene additionally require the explicit consent of the importing country before export can take place. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely.

Similar arrangements to PIC will come into force at the end of the Transition Period on 31 December.